"Star Wars Episode VII" Has Started Filming, Casting is Almost Complete

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Twenty Stormtroopers take over the stage during a private Disney event at the Licensing Expo, Monday June 17, 2013 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. This surprise grand finale, presented to more than 1,500 licensees, demonstrates a new era of merchandising potential for Disney Consumer Productsí robust franchise portfolio, which now includes the Star Wars franchise. (Photo by Andrew Estey/Invision for DisneyConsumer Products/AP Images)

Updated at 10:08 AM EDT on Monday, Apr 7, 2014

Did Alan Horn let the cat out of the bag? The Disney Studios chairman confirmed that filming has already begun on the upcoming "Star Wars Episode VII" during an Apr. 2 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"We have a lot of them," Horn said of the unannounced cast. "We're just not completely done yet."

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In March 2014, Carrie Fisher announced that she will be moving to London for six months to reprise her role as Princess Leia. Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill are also expected to return as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, respectively. Asked last fall about his involvement in the movie, Ford said, "I think even to say it's unresolved is kind of an enhancer. I prefer not to have to be confronted with that."

Horn confirmed "Star Wars Episode VII" will be released in December 2015 and said the story will pick up "where VI left off--and where VI left off is 35 years ago by the time this is released." Star Wars creator George Lucas will act as creative consultant on the seventh movie and future films in the franchise.

And yes, the rumors are true: Horn admitted that there were some problems getting the script right. "It's all about the screenplay," he said. "It has to be screenplay, screenplay, screenplay." Asked if the screenplay was where it needed to be now that filming had started, he replied, "It actually is now." The script has been co-written by Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, following an early draft by Michael Arndt.